Xero Shoes Prio Suede Shoes Black Grey - 45

I purchased this version of the Prio after picking up my first pair of Xero Piro (suade) at REI. The suade is fantastic for everyday wear around town, while I use these for more active pursuits. I have a very high arch and was skeptical that a minimalist, zero drop shoe would be the answer to my chronic foot pain and crunched pinky toe. In fact, I expected it to make the problem worse, but decided to give them a shot with nothing to lose. This is game changing footwear for me. From the instant I put the Prio's on, I knew these might be something good. The wider toe box is a huge improvement for my foot, and the lacing/strap system dials in the prefect snug fit on my foot. I as I started to gradually wear these more and more each day, I noticed long dormant muscles ... MoreI purchased this version of the Prio after picking up my first pair of Xero Piro (suade) at REI. The suade is fantastic for everyday wear around town, while I use these for more active pursuits. I have a very high arch and was skeptical that a minimalist, zero drop shoe would be the answer to my chronic foot pain and crunched pinky toe. In fact, I expected it to make the problem worse, but decided to give them a shot with nothing to lose. This is game changing footwear for me. From the instant I put the Prio's on, I knew these might be something good. The wider toe box is a huge improvement for my foot, and the lacing/strap system dials in the prefect snug fit on my foot. I as I started to gradually wear these more and more each day, I noticed long dormant muscles in my calves and hips "waking up". I'm not a runner, I am a desk jockey, so feeling these muscles ignite after switching shoes was amazing. My true test of these shoes (to see if they would be a killer to my arch) was to wear them all day around the San Diego Zoo. I was AMAZED that my feet felt amazing, my arch felt fantastic, and with the bigger toe box, my feet could swell and still not experience discomfort. The last bonus is that I can wear these shoes with my Correct Toes toe spreader. My only, ONLY quip on this version of the prio is this: they feel just a little bit more narrow in the toe box than the suade version. I am now a convert. I can't believe these shoes made such a vast difference in my overall foot comfort and well being. I am also thankful that Xero has a line of shoes for every need I have from a water shoe to winter boot. I will be converting all my shoes to zero drop/Xero shoes going forward.

Fit: Snug, a little more narrow than other wide toe-box shoes. Very, very comfortable and easy to slip on and off.Utility: The sole is very hard, like a plasticky-rubber. I assume this was done to match their warranty claim of 5,000 miles or whatever it is. I've been wearing these in 80-90F weather and the toe-box gets a little warm and isn't super breathable, at least I felt that way while in direct sunlight. They are still very comfy on the foot. I went on a hike with these on an unmarked trail in desert terrain, jogging in jagged rocks to fist sized rocks and these had no issue trotting me along. Even with my foot slipping and sliding inside the shoe (inevitable in this terrain, shoe was not to blame), the sole shows no signs of coming unglued. I'm sure time ... MoreFit: Snug, a little more narrow than other wide toe-box shoes. Very, very comfortable and easy to slip on and off.Utility: The sole is very hard, like a plasticky-rubber. I assume this was done to match their warranty claim of 5,000 miles or whatever it is. I've been wearing these in 80-90F weather and the toe-box gets a little warm and isn't super breathable, at least I felt that way while in direct sunlight. They are still very comfy on the foot. I went on a hike with these on an unmarked trail in desert terrain, jogging in jagged rocks to fist sized rocks and these had no issue trotting me along. Even with my foot slipping and sliding inside the shoe (inevitable in this terrain, shoe was not to blame), the sole shows no signs of coming unglued. I'm sure time will tell and that repeated abuse like this will wear them down like any shoe. Due to the firm sole, it does not grip well at all for climbing up rocks outdoors and is actually quite slippery compared to any type of normal shoe with a thicker sole.Appearance: I got the gray ones and they are appropriate for just about all settings from the workplace to the gym.Value: While I believe barefoot shoes to be overpriced in general, I really like these shoes and was glad to get them on sale when they first came out.Did they change anything to address the unglued sole that is a common issue? I know the price went up, maybe that's their way to compensate. But I really hope these last a while and I look forward to my next pair in a year or so when these start to wear out.In summary, I've only had these about two weeks but am very happy with them and they seem like great shoes.

Transitioning to such a minimalist shoe was weird. I was having such bad foot and back pain from 16 shifts (walking 10+miles on hard floors). I needed something I could wear my toe spacers in as needed to help correct some foot and posture alignment. These shoes helped with the wide toe box (working with the elderly and seeing how our shoes squish your toes over time was eye opening, so this is my favorite feature about this shoe). How lightweight they are helped with fatigue. The lack of heal is my next favorite feature, I hate inclined heals in shoes as it hurts my knees and feet and can cause flare ups in my plantar fasciitis. These minimalist shoes however don’t help much with shock absorption or protection from hitting the sides of your feet, so my feet do feel ... MoreTransitioning to such a minimalist shoe was weird. I was having such bad foot and back pain from 16 shifts (walking 10+miles on hard floors). I needed something I could wear my toe spacers in as needed to help correct some foot and posture alignment. These shoes helped with the wide toe box (working with the elderly and seeing how our shoes squish your toes over time was eye opening, so this is my favorite feature about this shoe). How lightweight they are helped with fatigue. The lack of heal is my next favorite feature, I hate inclined heals in shoes as it hurts my knees and feet and can cause flare ups in my plantar fasciitis. These minimalist shoes however don’t help much with shock absorption or protection from hitting the sides of your feet, so my feet do feel beat up at the end of the day at times (and also can flare up my plantar fasciitis). I have finally (after years) found a shock absorbing shoe insert that finally makes these my favorite shoes! (Wish you guys at zero shoes made your own just for these shoes so the fit is perfect. could help with transitioning to a minimalist shoe or people with other foot issues?!)These have off and on been my go to shoes for I think 4+ years (for work or for outside walks/biking/errands etc, can’t do hiking the terrain is too rough for me in a minimal shoe my feet feet like they’ve been in a boxing ring). I finally have to retire them after all this time (falling apart in places and I could glue it back together but they have seen so much sweat and puddles and hours of wet feet inside them I can no longer get the stink out even after a baking soda and vinegar bath this time around. Sure beats other shoes where the heals wear down and that creates more foot, knee and back pain. I really appreciate how long these lasted and how much of a beating they took as I don’t have a lot of disposable income. Buying shoes every 6 months for work was killing me, some I was ripping holes in within a month.My biggest con (only other one is the hard impact of these shoes does cause me foot pain without a shock absorbing insert) is sometimes I cannot stand driving in them or any activity I roll my foot back on my heel. The seam of the sole to soft upper part of the shoe just really irritates my back heel and becomes at times very painful! (even without the inserts I put in) Especially for something I have to hold that position for like driving. Maybe something to work on in future designs to help protect the bone and sensitive area there when it is rolled back on the heel? I seriously can’t wear these on road trips if I’m driving because of this and even sometimes switch for my commute drive home. Maybe it’s me (I’m maybe just not there with the flexibility and strength for this level of minimalist shoe?) or daily abuse of my feet cause otherwise these work well for everything but rough/rocky hiking trails.